Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

After Melaka, we headed up to Kuala Lumpur as we were scheduled to fly from there to Sydney a few days later. Kuala Lumpur really surprised me…it was very clean and there was so much new construction and new buildings. Everything is kind of over the top…HUGE malls are located just blocks away from each other and you can find every chain store you have ever been to in your life…High end, mid-range, European, American…it was great. Too bad we were too poor to buy anything.

We did hang out at the mall though and ate at Carl’s Junior (so nice to have bad American fast food after nothing but Asian food for 5 weeks), we went and saw Couples Retreat at their gigantic theatre, bought vanilla iced blendeds at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (my favorite thing about KL!), and visited their over the top Christmas display at the mall. This was the first time we saw anything Christmas throughout all of South East Asia and it was really fun…in super hot KL they had a whole section of the mall that was a winter wonderland with real falling snow!They had HUGE Christmas trees, fully decorated, Santa in his sleigh with his reindeer flying through the sky, elves, everything Christmas you could ever imagine…it was better than how Will Ferrell decorated the mall in Elf; it was crazy.

We didn't just hang out at the mall while we were there, although we did go there twice...it was just too cool. Other than that, we visited their huge street markets, went to the night bazaar at Little India, walked through China Town and ate the last of our authentic South East Asian food.

(the famous Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur)

(the night market with the KL towers in the background)

(nathan enjoying an iced blended in the winter wonderland at the mall)

Malaysia: Cameron Highlands and Melaka

After a long day of travel on boats, in vans, and across borders, we finally made it into Malaysia. Our first stop was Penang (because that is the furthest we could get in one day). Unfortunately, we only had one evening there because of issues with buses, so we didn't get to explore it during the day as we would have liked. The next morning we made our way to Tanah Rata in the beautiful Cameron Highlands of Central Malaysia - another LONG day of travelling and crappy buses made better only by the next Twilight novel (#3, the one i had lost)...I bought a counterfeit copy of it in Vietnam.

The main draw of this tiny town is the tea plantations that cover the hillsides. One of our books said that it looks like velvety green corduroy covering the hillsides, and it does. It is stunning. One of the days we were there, we bussed and hiked up into the hillside to go to one of the tea plantations for a tour. It was a beautiful hike and we drank (and bought) some yummy tea. The town is also known for its fresh fruit and vegetables, so we visited a strawberry farm and bought fresh strawberries and homemade strawberry ice cream.

Other than that we just mulled around town, and ate lots of local food (there is an infusion in Malaysia of Indian, Chinese, and South East Asian cuisine). We watched as our hostel owner turned up the tunes and danced to an entire song - like really got down - next to his tiny radio near the computer we were using. At one point, we thought we were going to die when out of nowhere, a fighter jet came screaming over the tiny town...truly thought this was one of my last moments. Don't know what they were doing but it was crazy loud and super close to the ground and we both cowered in the corner of the store we were in, waiting to die. When the jet had passed and we realized we were still alive, we went out and watched it circle around the town a few times, then fly away. We asked the locals if this was normal and they just shrugged like they had no idea what was going on. Hmm...

After the Cameron Highlands, we headed down to Melaka. A relic of European colonialism, Melaka was a primary trade center between the East and West. First settled by the Portuguese, then taken by the Dutch (and then the British), Melaka is now known for its active pirate community and for being a UNESCO World Heritage City. [can you tell this part was written by nathan? love his historical facts] We stayed in a great hostel where the owner cooked us yummy homemade breakfasts each morning. We toured around the town and checked out the beautiful, colorful, old buildings and pagodas, walked through the night markets, and my favorite...went to a huge, modern theater and saw....New Moon (Twilight movie #2). Amazing. And my wonderful husband went with me...love him. :)

(Jonker Walk in Melaka)

(the crazy "taxis" in Melaka...as you can see, they are all very colorfully decorated and they all BLAST music as they drive you around the old town)

Thailand: Beaches

After Hoi An we had a long travel day/night with an overnight train ride up to Hanoi (yes, we opted for the train...MUCH better choice, was comfortable and we actually got some sleep!), then a flight back out to Bangkok. We stayed in Bangkok one more night - at our favorite hostel that makes the best iced coffee ever - and then made our way down to the beaches...

The coast in Thailand is so beautiful...there are huge limestone karsts rising up out of the sea and scattered along the mainland with jungle-y vegetation and gorgeous turquoise water. The only thing that is a bit of a bummer is the hoards of tourists and the jacked-up tourist prices. It was definitely the most expensive part of South East Asia that we experienced. Even still, we really enjoyed our time and soaked up a ton of sun, read lots of books and just did nothing for a week or so...

First, we spent a few days in Krabi, which is gorgeous. We stayed in a lovely place with a huge pool, and swam in the evenings after our days at the beach. We had a few days there and basically all we did was lay out in the sun, tan our bodies, eat yummy Thai food, shop, read and swim in the warm water. It was great. One day we took a long tail boat out to Rai Leh and relaxed there...it was beautiful.

(beautiful Rai Leh beach in Krabi)

(nathan rocking a dirty stache with the reflection of beautiful Rai Leh beach in his lenses - artistic or creepy?)

(long tail boats - main form of transport)

Next we headed down south for a more "deserted island" feel. And getting there definitely made it feel deserted...it was a long bus ride down to the port where they drop you off to find a boat to your selected destination (there are a few islands off the coast here). We chose the one that seemed the cheapest, the most mellow and least known for crazy partying. After waiting most of the day for our "speed" boat ride out to the island, we were finally walked down to the port - with one other traveller, our friend Jim - and put on a tug boat. Honest to God it was just some random local fisherman's boat and we tugged slowly along to our island for about another hour and a half. Once we got to the island, we had to wait for a long tail boat to come out and pick us up to take us ashore. By this time the seas had definitely gotten a bit rough and lets just say we were happy that we made it to the island...we were being tossed over huge waves, swells coming into the boat, we were soaking wet (along with our bags), and we kept checking to make sure our driver was still on the back of the boat and hadn't gotten tossed off! We were glad that at least one other tourist had made the trip with us or we would have been wondering what the heck we had gotten ourselves into. Although, once we made it to shore (after a long day and looking very disheveled), it was actually a beautiful and quite peaceful little island. We ended up getting a little bungalow right on the beach and had a few days to just chill and do nothing on our island paradise...it was wonderful.

Some favorite moments....

1. Pineapple pancakes with honey syrup for breakfast on the beach.

2. Finding our friend Jim on the beach in a tiny black thong a few days later...awkward...we all averted our eyes and pretended not to see each other.

3. Phillipe...Phillipe looked like he was in his 50s or 60s, was dark and leathery tan, had long greyish-blonde hair, wore cut-off short jean shorts and no shirt every day, and looked like he had gone to visit the island sometime in the 70's never to return. He had a hammock that was permanently set up on the tiny beach and a sign that read "Phillipe" over an entrance into the jungle where he apparently took up residence. He knew everyone on the island (i think the population was under 50) and tromped up and down the beach staring at the tourist girls in their bikinis. Creepy, yet entertaining.

4. Amazing Thai food at our resort - the last for us since this was our last stop in Thailand!

5. Our cute little bungalow, complete with mosquito netting over our bed and sea breeze coming through the walls...it was perfect!

(our cute resort)

(our bungalow on the beach)

Vietnam: Hue and Hoi An

Once we finally recovered from our bus ride to Hue, we set out to explore the town. As we were trying to figure out the best way to see everything, since it is a bit spread out, a man on his motorbike stopped to talk to us and tried to convince us to go with him and his friend on their bikes for an all-day tour around town. At first we objected, but we got to talking to him and he pulled out some official-looking brochures and totally charmed us and we thought, what the heck?! So we did it! It was SO much fun. I should also mention that this is not in the least bit uncommon...there are motorbikes in nearly every town in Vietnam that act as taxis or tour operators, so it is relatively safe (don't worry parents...we are not in the habit of taking rides with strangers). Besides, even the "official" tours, taxis and bus rides are not even close to what we would consider official, professional or even safe...it's always an adventure. So all this to say, after talking to him and his friend for a while, we decided to hop on the back of their bikes for a tour of Hue. It was one of our favorite things that we did! We got to see so much more than we would have if we were on foot, and they gave us history lessons and local stories about the places we saw and visited...so fun!


(motorbiking through Hue)

(hiding out in a vietnam war bunker)


(ruins and pagodas around Hue)

(another Hue pagoda)


From Hue we headed via train and taxi to Hoi An, which ended up being probably our favorite stop in Vietnam. Hoi An is a beautiful little town south of Danang, located on a small river...we LOVED it here. The town is a protected world heritage site and is beautifully preserved. The buildings are colorful and bright and there are no cars allowed in the main town center.

We stayed a few days here...one day we rented bikes and rode out to the beach...a beautiful drive along the river and next to rice paddies with water buffalo grazing in them. We soaked up some sun at the beach and ate at a little riverside cafe on the way back into town...it was so peaceful and relaxing.


(riding our bikes to the beach with the locals)

We also spent time wandering the local produce markets (which are huge and have tons of fresh fruits and vegetables...the food in Vietnam, especially Hoi An is amazingly fresh and flavorful, so good).


(bananas at the market)

We did lots of people watching...people biking by with their entire family on board (even infants - no helmets in sight), or with their bikes loaded sky high with bananas or produce or even baskets full of live ducks! We woke up at 5am one morning to check out the early morning fish market which was CRAZY...so fun to be there to observe the scene...people pulling fish off the boats, market and restaurant owners trying to buy up the best catch, people yelling and running around everywhere, fish flopping around in baskets, so much going on in the early morning light.


(early morning at the fish market in Hoi An)

We explored the tiny, colorful streets and gawked at the old eclectic architecture, and we even stayed in a preserved traditional old home one night which was rustic for sure, but a great experience...views over the center of town and so neat to stay in one of their "ancient" homes (as they call them). We stayed in a bigger hotel the other nights that had amazing free breakfast and a huge pool, so we did some swimming and laying out in the sun as well. One night we treated ourselves to a fancy dinner overlooking the river...grilled local fish (amazing!) and fresh banana coladas...heaven!

Hoi An also has some local food specialties, like Cao Lao, which we loved and ate every day...super cheap, super fresh, and amazingly good.


(Local specialty, Cao Lao - the yummiest and cheapest dish in Hoi An)

Hoi An is also known for its clothing...hundreds of shops line each street and make custom clothing for a pretty decent price. You can get custom suits, shoes, shirts, jackets, dress shirts...you basically point to a picture in a magazine, pick out your fabric, they take your measurements, and the next day they have it laid out for you and ready to go. I got some skirts and nathan got a few shirts, all for under $100!


(fabric at the clothing markets)

On our last evening there we took a boat tour down the river and along some of the "residential" areas and farm land surrounding the tiny city...it was at sunset and was such a quiet, peaceful experience. We got to see locals fishing and throwing their nets off their tiny boats, which was super cool, but then we realized it was all a show when our boat went up to theirs and they asked for money for the little show...can't get away from it in Vietnam, but it was still neat to see!



We just loved it here...amazing town, amazingly kind people, we were sad to leave.

Vietnam: Nightmare Bus Ride

So after Hanoi, we decided to head down to central Vietnam. In an effort to save money - as we are trying to be as thrifty as possible – we decided to book an overnight bus to Hue instead of take the train…this turned out to be a very poor decision. We booked our bus through our hotel (everything is based off of commission there) and a taxi driver came to pick us up to take us to catch our bus. Our taxi ride was our first experience being a part of the traffic mayhem of Hanoi. We flew at high speeds through town, got honked at, nearly hit two pedestrians and watched our driver get screamed at through the window...he then proceeded to park us in the middle of the road blocking traffic while he casually got out of the car to grab more passengers and we got honked at and yelled at some more, then we finally made it across town to wait for our bus. Our bus finally showed up an hour to an hour and a half late and the “adventure” began.

We pushed and shoved our way to the door of the bus to get in and get our seats and the second we got on were literally slapped across the face with the most rancid, thick smell of stinky putrid feet. It was unlike anything I have ever smelled (in smell and in strength) and it didn’t ever dissipate. The reason for the terrible smell was because everyone was required to take their shoes off and put them in plastic bags when entering the bus. The bus was a “sleeper” bus, which basically meant there were three rows of bunk beds that stretched down the entire length of the bus…very small metal bunk beds.

(inside of the sleeper bus)

We grabbed our beds and realized that these were not beds made for people over 5’5”…poor Nathan smushed himself into the bed and proceeded to get bruises on his shins every time he switched positions because of the low metal shelf you had to squish your legs under. It was terribly uncomfortable and on top of the awful feet smell, the people next to us had bad gas, there was strong food smells and the toilet on the bus wasn’t flushing and the bathroom door kept swinging open…unbelievable. Oh yeah...and they blasted weird music videos on the tiny TVs throughout the bus which were just awful. I felt bad for the people who had to sleep right under the TVs...we were definitely thankful for our spots in the bus.

Well, we tried to get some shuteye despite the smell, the discomfort, the noise and the incessant honking, but about an hour into the trip, right as we were drifting off, the bus stopped at a rest stop and everyone got off to load up with more food. These rest stops are common and can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. After who-knows-how-long we finally got back on the road and about 30 minutes later came to a screeching, skidding halt. We had no idea what had happened, but saw that there had been some sort of accident with a motorcycle. After more than TWO HOURS stopped on the side of the road, not really sure what had happened or why we had been stopped that long, we took off again…then turned around about 10 minutes down the road and went ALL the way back to the rest stop we had been at earlier that evening. It was so frustrating…we had barely gotten out of Hanoi and it had been at least 5 hours by this point. Once we got back to the rest stop, they started shuffling everyone off the bus, with no explanation, and had us all load onto a different bus that was not a sleeper bus (even though we had paid extra for one). We found out later it was because it was OUR bus who hit the motorcyclist and it had damaged our headlights!
(we are pretty sure the motorcyclist was okay)

So they loaded us all onto a new bus, along with all of the shipments and cargo the other bus had been carrying, so we had rice sacks and huge boxes piled up in the center aisle. At around 1am (6 hours after we left Hanoi) we finally took off for Hue. The bus was definitely less stinky and even a bit more comfortable, but our seats were broken and didn’t recline so the people in front of us were basically in our laps. The drive was terrible…one of those things where you watch the clock pass 2am, then 3am, then 4am and you're not even close to falling asleep and it just is so ridiculous you kind of have to laugh. It was so uncomfortable...we couldn’t sleep, it was loud and our driver honked all through the night, and to top it all off, the kid in the seat in front of us was puking into a plastic bag ALL night long…a lovely smell as well as a lovely sound. It was AWFUL.

We also discovered that one couple had been left behind at one of the rest stops during the middle of the night! Their bags were still on the bus but they were nowhere to be found…so terrible, I can’t imagine. Although…they might have had it better off than us in the end. We were originally supposed to be in Hue by 8am, but due to our accident, we figured it would probably be closer to 11am or even maybe noon. We were so wrong…our bus driver drove so incredibly slow it was laughable compared to how the rest of Vietnam drives, and we also stopped at rest stops, for over an hour each time, WAY too many times. We finally got to Hue at 3PM!! Seven hours late, it was ridiculous! I felt so bad for the people that were supposed to take the bus further into Hoi An (another 4 hours away). They all refused to go further because they just couldn’t stand to be in a bus any longer.

It was mayhem when we got to the tourist company in Hue. There were about 15-20 tourists who were livid about the whole experience and confronted the company to see if they could get a refund (yeah, right) since they paid for a sleeper bus and were put on a regular bus. They pretty much laughed in their faces and said it wasn’t their fault. When people yelled saying that it WAS their driver’s fault since he had apparently been driving extremely recklessly, she blamed it on the motorcyclist saying he had been drinking and that the accident “wasn’t her idea” so she couldn’t be held responsible. It was pretty funny to watch…we just sneaked away happy that we had a nice place to stay and then ordered room service and watched movies the rest of the day. It was great and although the bus ride was terrible, it was pretty laughable too…you just can’t have a trip like this without a crazy bus ride like that! And we made it, so that was good. ☺

we lag

Once again, we are very behind in blogging...we are already in New Zealand but still want to share our South East Asia experience with you because it was AMAZING!!! See below for some updates and there will be more coming soon!